Advances in Management & Applied Economics, vol. 4, no.3, 2014, 25-37
ISSN: 1792-7544 (print version), 1792-7552(online)
Scienpress Ltd, 2014
The Corporate Social Responsibility: a Case Study
Annunziata de Felice 1, Isabella Martucci 2 and Dario A. Schirone 3
Abstract
This work aims at demonstrating how the integration of the social responsibility in
corporate strategy is a factor of competitiveness in the market, achieved through the full
involvement of all stakeholders.
The corporate social responsibility issue, still very controversial and difficult to
univocally define, has been, in the latest years, of a fundamental importance in the
business management models, leading to changes in the corporate mission itself. A prime
example of this is found in the world’s leading furnishing company IKEA. Widely
regarded as one of excellence in the field of social and environmental responsibility,
IKEA aims at making sustainable development one of the business values.
The business case proves that a balance between the profit achievement and a socially
responsible behaviour is not only possible, but it is transformed into a real winning
strategy as regards the obtaining of a competitive advantage on the competitors.
JEL classification numbers: D21, O13, D23
Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, IKEA, Environment
1 Introduction
Given the changing feature of the economic system, the process of globalization and the
different corporate approaches necessary for a more efficient relocation on the market by
means of business realities, a lively debate on the role of companies in society has been
recording with the confidence that a static view of their production is no longer
sustainable from both a productive point of view and a social and environmental one. The
principles of the ethics, sociality and environment respect are asserting more and more,
values neglected for long in order to follow the company profit.
Already Adam Smith in "The wealth of nations" (1776) and even before Bernard
Mandeville in the Fable of the Bees: or, Private Vices, Public Benefits (1714) analysed
1
University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Italy
University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Italy
3
University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Italy
2
Article Info: Received : March 12, 2014. Revised : April 9, 2014.
Published online : June 1, 2014
26
Annunziata de Felice, Isabella Martucci and Dario A. Schirone
the relationship between the economy and society, identifying the sole purpose of the
business in the profit and in the selfishness.
Two hundred years later, Milton Friedman (1970), writes: "there is one and only one
social responsibility of business–to use it resources and engage in activities designed to
increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game, which is to say,
engages in open and free competition without deception or fraud.”
The economic and social context is deeply changed. Enterprises can no longer pursue
only their own profit and evaluate the effectiveness of their work, but they should also
introduce suitable parameters to measure the contribution given to the collective
well-being, by introducing a code of ethics or of conduct and taking into account the
Corporation Social Responsibility(CSR) in their activities and the relationships with their
stakeholders.
In light of these considerations, the present work focuses on sustainable development and
Corporate Social Responsibility. The CSR requires the analysis of the legal, economic
and organizational aspects which impose a particular focus on how these aspects interact
one with another, on Community provisions, on standards and certifications developed in
the field. From an empirical point of view, researchers want to focus their attention on the
producer’s responsibility, by examining the IKEA case, a Swedish multinational
corporation, which, although aimed at achieving the business target, is recognized as a
company which pays attention to the environmental and social sustainability by
implementing strategies and activities to support it.
2 Economics, Environment and Sustainable Development
The economics, for a long time, deals with the efficient allocation of scarce resources, but
only recently it has tried to combine this objective with the environmental sustainability.
The development is considered sustainable "if it meets the needs of present generations
without compromising the possibility of future generations to meet their needs" (WCED,
1987). Having adopted a common definition of sustainable development should meet the
need to solve the problems related to the preservation of our planet eco-sustainability.
Indeed, the definition does not explicitly relate to the environment, but to the present and
future community welfare level, which, however, cannot be achieved and maintained if
those scarce resources are not used effectively. There is not, in fact, the ability to achieve
a satisfactory level of welfare without respecting the fundamental rights of individuals. In
other words, sustainable development is pursued also taking into account the extra
economic variables, including the right to health and education, the guarantee to live in
healthy environments, where the natural and cultural beauties are respected and protected.
The problems related to the development have been faced from a theoretical point of view
in relation to the evolution, in time and history, of the economic systems. At the end of
the Second World War, thanks to technological innovation, experts thought that a
development without limits could start, but it would be slowed down by the
environmental protection (Nespor, 2009).
In the 60ies the problem of environmental degradation started to be denounced and in the
70ies, as a result of the energy crisis, the relationship between man and nature was again
taken into exam, identifying in the first not so much a ruler of the second, as a waster,
who did not care about future generations.
In theoretical discussion, on one hand, the neo-Malthusian interpretation comes out: it,
The Corporate Social Responsibility: a Case Study
27
denying, for a long term, the possibility of development, proposes to maintain the
economic systems in a steady state, reducing the productive activity (Meadows et al.,
1972); on the other hand, another theory affirms that the Malthusian scarcity can be
surmountable through the resource substitutability and the technological progress. It
would be, therefore, possible to support the long-term development, thanks to efficient
market mechanisms (Simon and Kahn, 1984).
So the environment economy theoretical substrate begins to be outlined: it is divided into
a number of different expressions, which are more extremist or moderate both the
technocratic ones, and the environmentalist and environmental ones. In other words, the
free action of market forces, which - by replacing resources more and more scarce and
economically disadvantageous with others, even if limited by the presence of failures, that
can be solved with public intervention - ensures a sustainable development, is opposed to
the existence of environmental constraints that, if met, would lead to an interruption in the
process of economic growth and, at worst, in the contraction of the activity level.
In 1987 the Brundtland Report defines the sustainable development, showing that the
environment protection and development are inextricably joined, as if there is poverty and,
therefore, there is not development, the environment becomes degraded, and, conversely,
in a degraded environment, poverty is created. The development, provided that it is good,
is no longer part of the environmental problem, but it is one of the solutions (Nespor,
2009).
This definition seems to correspond to the idea of a development weak sustainability that
can be reached by replacing the produced capital with the natural resources, which,
together with other factors, allows the realization of the production process through a
combination that the entrepreneur modifies to get the maximum possible benefit.
Considering in fact, that a scarce resource is more expensive than the available one, the
replacement of the first with the second allows to create a more efficient combination. In
this specific case, replacing natural resources with produced capital, the level of economic
activity remains constant, without reducing the availability of resources for future
generations.
Environmentalists, on the contrary, believe that natural resources and produced capital are
not replaceable, but complementary, since each higher level of welfare is associated with
a greater amount of resources.
On the other hand, it is clear that the constancy of the combination natural resources/
produced capital can be maintained only through their reintegration, being undoubtedly
that both the first and the second are subject to degradation. Consequently, if one
considers true that the lower the level of development, the greater the impact on the
environment, will be true the opposite relationship. In fact, when the available per capita
income increases, consumption grows in a less proportional way or, at worst, it remains
constant, while the uselessness of environmental degradation increases. “As incomes rise,
the demand for improvements in environmental quality will increase, as will the resources
available for investment” (The World Bank 1992, p. 39). In other words, “there is clear
evidence that, although economic growth usually leads to environmental degradation in
the early stages of the process, in the end the best - and probably the only - way to attain
a decent environment in most countries is to become rich” (Beckerman, 1992).
What is stated only occurs if, when the scale of production grows, technological progress
allows to reduce the amount of used factors and promotes the adoption of production
processes with less emissions of substances which are harmful to the environment. Then,
when the sustainable development is possible, the role of the company and especially its
28
Annunziata de Felice, Isabella Martucci and Dario A. Schirone
relation to the environment seems relevant. Each company should adopt strategies which
allow efficient productions in terms of emission of harmful substances in the use of
energy and raw materials, as well as in the production of waste. The eco-efficiency in the
company can be improved by using some tools including the analysis of the product life
cycle and environmental management systems (EMAS and ISO14000). In other words, in
order to achieve a sustainable development, it is necessary to pursue the profit protecting
the environment that, if on one side it is a cost for the company, on the other hand it
provides many opportunities, related to its innovative capacity. “Some firms, in the
process of addressing climate change, will find opportunities to enhance or extend their
competitive positioning by creating products (such as hybrid cars) that exploit
climate-induced demand, by leading the restructuring of their industries to address
climate issues more effectively, or by innovating in activities affected by climate change to
produce a genuine competitive advantage” (Porter and Reihardt, 2007).
Considering the value chain the firm evaluates the environmental inside-out impact of its
activity, and, in reducing it, it can benefit not only by introducing innovation in both
product and process, but also by adopting marketing strategies aimed at sustainability
including, for example, lower price quotations for recycled products and/or discounts for
the withdrawal of the used ones and for packaging techniques, which can be made in
synergy with the distributors.
3 Corporate Social Responsibility: a Definition
The reference to Corporate Social Responsibility identifies an issue that has distant
origins and that has suffered significant evolutions in time. The global market or the
centrality of the productive activity is not in debate, as the mode for the development of
an economy based on the intensive exploitation, not only of the factors of production, but
also of natural resources. The economic dimension is integrated with the social and
environmental ones, so that every business activity contributes to the collective welfare,
providing not only - or better no longer - quantitative improvements, but also qualitative
ones.
According to Molteni the CSR is meant as “la tensione dell’impresa e, dunque, in primis
dei vertici aziendali, a soddisfare in misura sempre crescente, andando al di là degli
obblighi di legge, le legittime attese sociali e ambientali oltre che economiche, dei vari
portatori di interesse (stakeholder) mediante lo svolgimento delle proprie attività”("the
tension of the company and, therefore, of the corporate executers in primis, to meet, in
ever-increasing extent, going beyond the law requirements, the various stakeholders’
legitimate social and environmental expectations as well as the economic ones, by
carrying out its activities" (Molteni, 2004). The responsibility issue is part of a more
complex process that sees the company not only able to make profit, but also welfare for
the community, since the company, harmonizing with the needs of the society, gaining a
competitive advantage that allows it to acquire wider market shares.
The definition of corporate social responsibility described as: “a concept whereby
companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations
and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis” (Green Paper, 2001)
was modified by the European Commission into: "The responsibility of enterprises for
their impacts on society" in 2011.
From the first definition it is clear that companies should apply the rules related to social
The Corporate Social Responsibility: a Case Study
29
development, to the environmental protection and to the respect for fundamental rights,
by embracing an open governance, reconciling interests of various stakeholders in an
overall approach of quality and sustainability” (Green Paper, 2001). Therefore, the
Commission intends the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a mode of corporate
strategic governance that addresses its management criteria above the legal constraints.
The CSR can be considered as a system of "governance" of transactions and of the
relationships between the company and its stakeholders.
The social responsibility goes, therefore, beyond the legal obligations imposed on the
conduct of economic activity. In other words, the company which continually reviews and
corrects its management strategy, its own mission, is socially responsible through the
voluntary adoption of higher and higher social standards.
Even consumers or final users of a given product or service, that does not always have
legal instruments to protect expectations which could be disappointed, play an important
role. Consumers, in fact, buy goods and/or services not only on the basis of the
cost-benefit ratio, but also taking into account the manufacturing company with which
they identify themselves, sharing their social, environmental, ethical choices. Less
attentive consumers prefer, instead, the products of competing firms, as well as the
employees and suppliers who look for other opportunities.
Also the social feature acquires thus a full meaning: a social feature is the obligation level
ascribed to the company by wider and wider strata of the public opinion; social features
are the charges incumbent on the company in an interpretation of a management more
attentive to catch the moods of society; a social feature is the character of consumers’
retaliatory measures in relation to betrayed expectations. Economic feature, finally, is the
loss suffered by the company regarding the betrayed expectations.
The observance of the standards dictated by the rules, on the contrary, is not to be
considered sufficient for the identification purposes of a particular company as dedicated
to socially responsible practices, since the real essence of social responsibility is in going
beyond the minimum standards imposed by law, transforming them.
The company that is ready to take on such a challenge and that shows concretely a higher
sensitivity than the legislative obligations can be placed in a privileged position compared
to its competitors by the public opinion.
4 Analysis of a Business Case
In order to assess whether the adoption of a socially responsible conduct has a positive
impact on turnover of manufacturing enterprises, this works refers to the multinational
IKEA, among those working in the field of furniture.
At the base of its strategic orientation, IKEA has as a mission the provision of furniture
and furnishings that meet the needs of the users, who want to live in comfortable and
functional environments. The offer, therefore, consists of a wide assortment of functional
items of furniture and design, available at affordable prices to meet the demands of
consumers who have different tastes and different levels of income. The application of
competitive prices is the result of an attention to the quality not only in the production of
goods, from the raw material supplying to the suppliers’ selection, but also in retail. The
success of this strategy emerges noting how, in the period 2001-2012, the difference
between the IKEA consumer price index and the ISTAT one for the same product
increases (Figure1).
30
Annunziata de Felice, Isabella Martucci and Dario A. Schirone
Figure 1: The ISTAT consumer price index in Italy and the 2012 IKEA catalogue price
index
140
120
100
80
the ISTAT consumer
price index
the IKEA catalogue
price index
60
40
20
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
0
Source: our processing on IKEA data (IKEA, Report 2012)
The strategy, which aims at obtaining an economic result, is realized by minimizing the
environmental and social impacts of the carried out activities. The strategic guidelines are
defined by the head office and it is the duty of subsidiaries located in different countries
to choose how to develop projects and initiatives in relation to the specificity of local
contexts.
Within the strategy of the IKEA Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) some areas are
identified (IKEA Report, 2012); they can be divided into three groups:
- The suppliers: IKEA has working relationships with 2150 suppliers, to whom it passes
on information and knowledge through training courses on quality, efficiency and
environmental protection. IKEA, moreover, also performs directly part of the production,
thanks to 35 companies, components of its industrial group Swedwood that are located in
11 countries. Employees of IKEA Purchasing Offices, that are present in 42 locations in
33 countries, regularly go to the supplying companies to follow the production, test new
ideas, support partners in carrying out their activities and make controls and inspections,
(de Felice, Martucci, Schirone, 2013).
- The environment: IKEA is focused on cost and on the efficient use of resources to avoid
waste and harmful emissions; preferably it uses the wood to create its products because it
is a recyclable, biodegradable and renewable material, and it certifies its origin from intact
natural forests. In addition it forms and involves its employees to respect the environment.
- The social projects: numerous initiatives, concerning both the human resource
management and the enhancement of the territories where it operates, have been started.
IKEA considers employees fundamental to achieve its mission and therefore it has given
way to a project Work-Life Balance to try to ensure them a balanced relationship between
work and private life. A part of this project concerns the creation of a direct link between
the company and the employees on maternity leave through training (distance-learning)
and continuous information on the changes in the organization during their absence.
The evaluation by consumers-customers is very important, as the corporate social
responsibility is perceived and measured through internal investigations (Figure 2). Every
store, in fact, carries out a survey (for about a week) once every four month in Italy and
The Corporate Social Responsibility: a Case Study
31
the interviewees are approximately 1200 for each store.
Figure 2: IKEA customers’ perception of CSR. Internal investigation 2011
Company I can trust
III Quarter FY11
Source: Inter-IKEA System
Confidence in the brand, with an average of 87%, is certainly an indicator of how CSR is
communicated and perceived. It is necessary to precise that every store records a different
percentage because the difference also derives from the local individual initiatives
conducted in socio-environmental context.
From these data, it is clear that among the best store is the one in Catania - with plus 7%
compared with the average in Italy - followed by the store in San Giuliano Milanese which records plus 5% in comparison to the previous survey and plus 4% compared to the
rest of Italy - and by the store in Trieste - with, respectively, plus 1% and plus 2 %. On
the contrary the store in Rome Anagnina with minus 1% compared to the previous survey
and minus 6 %, compared to the rest of Italy shows a negative assessment.
An enterprise strategic value has been identified in the sustainable development, so it
allows IKEA to contribute to obtain, in the long term, both profit increases and a
competitive advantage over competitors.
It is difficult to assess with precision the extent to which the strategies, adopted by the
IKEA Group, IKEA Italy in terms of social and environmental protection, affect company
turnover (Figures 3, 4). One can only note that, in the crucial year of the recent crisis, i.e.
32
Annunziata de Felice, Isabella Martucci and Dario A. Schirone
2009, the IKEA Group reported profits of 2.58 billion Euros and IKEA Italy turnover
remained stable recording a modest fall in 2012. This data testifies that, despite the use of
more expensive industrial strategies and even with more attention to social and
environmental protection, the economic objectives of the company are being reached.
Source: our analysis of IKEA data
Figure 3: 2000 – 2012 IKEA Group Turnover
Figure 4: 2004 – 2012 IKEA Italia Turnover
The operational aspects with which IKEA achieves its own socially responsible conduct
are also important: it contributes to the development of the corporate strategy with a view
to the sustainable development. The action fields can be identified in the following areas:
raw materials, ethic code and IWAY audit, waste management, renewable resources,
logistics, diversity management.
4.1 The Ethical Code and the IWAY Audit
The conduct code, called "The IKEA Way on Purchasing Home Furnishing Products"
(IWAY), was adopted for the first time in 2000 and defines all the minimum requirements
suppliers must meet regarding the legal aspects, the working conditions, the active
The Corporate Social Responsibility: a Case Study
33
prevention of the child labour 4, of the forced labour, the environmental protection and the
forest management.
Activity that is fundamental to ensure full effect to the IWAY requirements is the audit,
the control activity which checks, in a systematic, documented, periodic and objective
manner, the supplier compliance to the IWAY conduct codes. The checks are mostly
programmed by mutual consent, but they can also be made "by surprise". In order to exert
a capillary and effective control, several subjects have been identified; they carry out
checks on different levels. At a first level, the subjects responsible for carrying out audits
are qualified personnel, within the same IKEA, specially formed to carry out this delicate
task.
At a second level, IKEA internal technical staff is involved but they belong to an
international body, to calibrate the work of the IKEA auditor in different countries and in
different areas. Finally, at a third level, external specialised company auditors act to give
reliability and veracity to the system. After having inserted IWAY standards in all
contracts, there is the operational phase of document verification and control, to ascertain
the supplier compliance to the conduct code. During the last auditing activities carried out
by IKEA were made 35 audits among environmental managers, pressmen, cleaning firms
of and/or services, outsourcing and maintenance companies. Of these, 19 are those
“approved by IWAY ", 4 those "not approved”, while the other 12 are still "in progress"
or better during the phase of conformity assessment. All the suppliers who have been
considered not suitable have been excluded from the professional relationship with IKEA
(IKEA Report, 2012).
4.2 Renewable Energy Source Supply
In order to reduce the direct emissions of carbon dioxide, starting from 2007 IKEA has
formalized its commitment through the international project "IKEA goes renewable"
which aims "at reducing energy consumption and at supplying energy from renewable
sources". 5
The renewable energy sources are the inexhaustible ones (unlike coal, fuel oil and
methane), that is to say the solar energy, the waterpower, the wind power, the geothermal
and biomass energy.
The project aims at achieving the following long-term targets:
-100% of energy acquired and/or produced from renewable sources;
- 25% of consumption reduction on the basis of the indicator kWh/ m³ of sold goods
compared to 2005.
The environmental targets are both to optimize the management and the requalification of
already existing stores, and to plan new stores.
The cost is quantifiable in about 32 million Euros: between 2007 and 2010 about 12
million Euros were spent in order to qualify the existing buildings and the new ones from
the energy efficiency point of view; and about 20 million Euros were allocated to provide
4
In order to comply with the regulations regarding the children’s protection and against the child
labour IKEA introduced in 2000 a special ethic code called: “The IKEA Way on Preventing Child
Labour” (conduct code on the prevention of child labour), to make sure that neither suppliers nor
subcontractors employ minor workers.
5
Extract from "IKEA goes renewable" report published by IKEA in 2007.
34
Annunziata de Felice, Isabella Martucci and Dario A. Schirone
150,000 photovoltaic solar modules made of amorphous silicon in all the stores.
A special Construction Department works on the energy efficiency of stores and
encourages the design and construction of new IKEA plants.
Among the most innovative stores there is the store in Catania, which has obtained the
certification of A 6 class energy and Bari store which, in September 2013, achieved the
recognition of A + class. IKEA Bari is the only reality in the region of Apulia to have
realized and obtained this certification. IKEA has carried out a sustainable design in the
last 4 years, establishing 5 geo-exchange plants, of which 3 with a closed loop system and
2 with an open loop7 system. Both types of plants are able to extract or release heat
from/to a system to heat or cool the store according to the real climatic needs. Indeed, the
efforts made in this direction are shown in Table 2 where the result of energy efficiency
per square meter achieved by Swedish colossus in the tax year 2013 is shown and at the
same time the Italian figure, equal to 168kwh/sq. m., is compared with the other countries
where IKEA has stores and it occupies the eighth place out of twelve stores. The energy
saving records a clear positive trend (Table 1) with respect to the fiscal years 2010
(whm2207) and 2012 (whm2180). In Table 2 the Italian figure is shown, together with the
respective trends for each individual store. From an analysis of data, processed in
response to an interview about the function of national "Facility Management", it can be
seen that if in fiscal year 2010, the 200-250 whm2 were exceeded by only four Italian
stores, in fiscal year 2013 all the Italian stores are between the 150-200whm2 and 7 stores
do not exceed the 150 whm2; only 3 stores are still in the range 200-250whm2.
6
The legislation of the building energy efficiency is included in legislative decree on August 19th,
2005, n. 192 (Implementing the Directive 2002 /91/CE).
7
In the case of the closed loop plants, the heat exchange is conveyed through the water contained in
sealed tubes inserted in the soil up to several meters in depth. In the open loop plants, on the
contrary, the heat exchange occurs with the water taken directly from the ground, through the aid
of suitable pumping wells.
The Corporate Social Responsibility: a Case Study
35
Table 1: Energy efficiency global report in the fiscal year 2013
Source: IKEA
Table 2: Energy efficiency per m2 country report.
Source: IKEA
4.3 Transports and Logistics
Even the logistics and transport modes affect CO2 emissions in the environment, air
pollution and congestion on the motorway network. To verify the effectiveness of
logistical choices, IKEA Distribution uses various indicators, including the "average
coefficient of filling the truck" for road transport; during the 2012 this coefficient had been
36
Annunziata de Felice, Isabella Martucci and Dario A. Schirone
decreasing slightly, mainly because of the increase in the direct deliveries from supplier to
customer. On the other hand, direct deliveries avoid a passage of the supply chain (not
passing from a warehouse), and this means less mileage, less emitted CO2 and lower costs
of stock of goods in the warehouse. The transport strategy adopted in a prevalent manner
is the mixed-mode transport of the goods that, depending on the different cases, involves
different means of transportation by rail and road, or even by sea (Schirone and Torkan,
2012).
The carriers are subject to continuous inspections by "IKEA Transport". In order to
reduce the LGV environmental impact and to apply the due safety criteria, IKEA requires
carriers some essential requirements which can be summed up in two main points:
1) To use means that are less than 10 years old;
2) To reach a minimum score in the test of the environmental profile. In other words, it
verifies if drivers receive an appropriate training for a efficient driving; the fuel
consumption of each driver is checked and its reduction is encouraged through bonus;
the employed tires are low-rolling resistance; the tire pressure is monitored on a regular
basis; the carrier controls and/or limits the time when the engine is on while the vehicle
is stationary; the carrier communicates and verifies the actual prohibition of the use of
alcohol and drugs during the working hours; the carrier has an environmental
management system. If the carrier does not reach the minimum of necessary points it
cannot begin to work with IKEA.
The questionnaire should be updated annually and the carrier is subject to control, as for
the IWAY audit.
5 Conclusion
If the availability of qualitatively suitable and quantitatively sufficient natural resources
can be considered as the main factor of the economic prosperity and social development
of countries, not least the growth and survival of a firm is strongly linked to the ability to
manage the environment in which it operates.
The environment, in fact, if considered as a natural one (energy resource and raw material
availability), an external one (socio-cultural context, the evolution of demand and the
presence of competitors) and/or an internal one (for example the degree of efficiency of
the staff), affects the type of organization chosen by the company.
To achieve an environment efficient management, the company must not only prevent
damage by means of the emission of harmful substances, but above all it must have as
objective its protection, using suitable production processes and by providing synergies
with the external environment.
Enterprises are, therefore, called to modify their strategies to remain competitive, tending
to become suppliers not only of products, but also of services. A need of a proper
management of entrepreneurial activities arises, these range from planning to
implementation of defined projects for facilities and equipment, and/or maintenance
and/or environmental engineering.
From the carried out analysis it is obvious that IKEA is able to pursue its economic
objectives minimizing the environmental impact, by means of an efficient use of human,
technical and financial resources. IKEA, in fact, already in the planning, adopts strategies
aimed at sustainability, based on the life cycle of a product of furniture, always made of
renewable, recyclable or recycled materials. The eWheel - environmental Wheel - project
The Corporate Social Responsibility: a Case Study
37
tool lets designers, material technicians, packaging technicians, etc. to project items of
furniture and complements as close as possible to the environment. The wheel, which has
neither a beginning nor an end, is maybe the most appropriate image to illustrate the
possible protection of the environment, as it simulates the life of the product from the
choice of materials to its production, distribution and use.
This line of action seems to lead to sustainable development that, keeping its balance,
harmonizes economy, social equity, and ecosystems. In order to make this possible it
would be sufficient that everybody corrects those behaviours which, for their impact on
the environment, lead to the collapse of the system.
References
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
[16]
[17]
A. Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Strahan
and Cadell, London, 1776.
B. Mandeville, Fable of the Bees: or Private Vices, Public Benefits, London, 1714.
M. Friedman, The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase its Profits, New
York Times Magazine, September 13th, 1970.
WCDE – World Commission on Environment and Development, Our common
future, Oxford University Press, Oxford., 1987
S. Nespor, Il governo dell’ambiente. La politica e il diritto per il progresso
sostenibile, Garzanti, Milan, 2009.
D.H. Meadows, J. Randers and W. H. Behrens, The Limits to the Growth, New York,
Universe Books, 1972.
J.L. Simon and H. Kahn (Eds), The resourceful Earth: a response to Global 2000,
Blackwell, New York, 1984, 595.
The World Bank, World Development Report: Development and the Environment,
World Bank and Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1992.
W. Beckerman, Economic growth and the environment: whose growth? whose
environment?, in World Development, 20, 1992, 481-496.
M.E. Porter and F.L. Reihardt, A strategic approach to climate, Harvard Business
Review Italy, 2007, 6-10.
M. Molteni, Responsabilità sociale e performance d’impresa. Per una sintesi
socio-competitiva, collection Università - Ricerche-Economiche, V&P Publisher,
2004.
Commissione della Comunità Europea, Libro verde: Promuovere un quadro
europeo per la responsabilità sociale delle imprese, Bruxelles, COM 366, 2001.
European Commission, Brussels, COM 25-10-2011 n. 681: Communication from
the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic
and Social Committee and the Committee of regions. A renewed EU strategy
2011-14 for Corporate Social Responsibility, 2011
IKEA, Social and Environmental Responsibility, Report IKEA, 2012
A. de Felice, I. Martucci and D.A. Schirone, The Exchange of Knowledge: a Case
Study, Advances in Management & Applied Economics, 3(2), 2013, 67-82.
D.A. Schirone and G. Torkan,” New transport organization by IKEA. An example
of social responsibility in corporate strategy”. Advances in Management and
Applied Economics, 2(3), 2012; 181-193
C. Alex, Optimal Hedging, Transactions, 57(2), (1999), 2039-2058.